A message from our founder...

Jona Jeffcoat, MT-BC

I essentially grew up in a nursing home. My mother and my grandmother both worked there so it was natural for me to come and volunteer (although to be honest, I just thought I was visiting all of my adopted grandparents!) From the time I was four years old I spent hour after hour playing bingo, sharing songs and stories, and visiting with the residents of the facility. When I was in the fourth grade, I started to learn how to play the flute. I brought it with me when I visited-I wanted to share the music! I was only about nine years old when I heard the true power of music for the first time. I had no idea what Dementia was; I just knew that many of my “grandparents” didn’t speak. But when I played………they sang. I was determined I would help people with music from then on.

As I grew up, I volunteered on a farm for people with mental health disorders, a camp for children through Easter Seals, and I worked with children in foster care on a weekly basis. I infused music wherever I could. I watched it soothe tears, create laughter, and join people together. It wasn’t until high school that I learned about music therapy. I was exhilarated!!!! There was something out there that combined my passion for music and helping others. I loved every minute of my undergrad program and once I graduated, I was ready to get out there and help!

I worked a part-time job as a music therapist and part-time in a group home for adults with developmental disabilities. In that group home, I gained a new respect for adults with special needs. Together we got through the communication and sensory challenges using music as our guide. I eventually became a live-in house manager. I spent over 87 hours a week with my residents and in my “free” time, I saw my music therapy clients. I worked with a gentleman who had lost the ability to speak due to a stroke. After seven years of being silent, he found his voice again in song. I worked with a young girl in foster care who struggled to move her legs. The moment that she kicked her right leg to ring some jingle bells was nothing short of amazing! What had been seen as impossible WAS possible with music therapy.

This is how Infinity Music Therapy Services was born in 2010. It was born out of the idea that the possibilities for treatment and growth are endless! It is up to us, as therapists, teachers, and care-givers to bend and mold our approach to the needs, learning style, preferences, and strengths of each person we work with. It is not up to them to learn how to work with us. It is up to us to figure out how to work with them. When we work in this model, the possibilities are truly endless. It is in that special space we can hear first words, see first steps, set first goals, and so much more.

My son was born in 2011. I was overfilled with joy. I then got the devastating news that he failed his newborn hearing test. As weeks turned into months we watched him struggle to meet his developmental milestones. Red flags were everywhere and despite all of my clinical experience, I felt……..lost. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized how much the families that I work with go through. It wasn’t until then that I realized how much of the worry I didn’t see or how many hours they were on the road going between therapy appointments or how hard it was just sleeping, worrying about the future. But the love…..oh the love for that child was still there! My son finally creeped for the first time right before his first birthday and it was to chase after a tambourine. My son took his first steps to chase down a drum. And my son had his first words in the context of song. I finally was on the other side of the table. I got to experience the power of music as a parent to bring about positive change for my child! My son later was diagnosed with Autism and it’s been through music that he has developed self-regulation, social communication skills, and so much more!

Infinity was forever shaped by my experience as a parent of a child with special needs. It has been forever shaped by my experiences growing up in a nursing home and it has been forever shaped as I have helped family members navigate mental health issues. I made it my mission to reinforce to our clinical team how much we don’t get to see that happens behind closed doors and how much support we can bring to every individual we work with regardless of age, disability, or countless other factors. Infinity is more than just a therapy practice. We are a TEAM with each other and a TEAM with every support system of every client we serve.

As we continue to grow, we will continue to shape ourselves to meet the needs of our clients. We will celebrate the idea that the possibilities are endless!

Thank you so much for stopping by our website and please don’t hesitate to reach out if I can be of any assistance to you. I can be reached at (860) 518-5557 or jona@infinitymusictherapy.com.